1/1 THE committee managing Swindon’s Hindu temple explained how they hosted religious events while staying within Covid safety guidelines. Pradeep Bhardwaj, Sunny Patel and Sudhe Sri have maintained the Hindu hub in Cheney Manor throughout the last year, regularly inspecting the premises and ensuring the statues of deities specially shipped over from India remained pristine. They worked within the government’s exemption for places of worship and held Saturday services for 20 people in-between the second and third lockdowns, but the building has stayed closed for most of the pandemic. Diwali became a virtual event for the first time, with dignitaries attending over Zoom, and post-pandemic ceremonies could involve a hybrid of virtual and in-person attendance.